Sprouts are fast-growing seeds that you can harvest within days. The quick growth, low cost, nutritional benefits and the way they lift a meal make them a great option if you want to eat well, cut plastic waste and keep an eye on the grocery bill.
What are sprouts?
Sprouts are plants eaten within 1 to 2 weeks of germination. They are smaller versions of the adult plant and take on similar flavours. Onion sprouts, for example, have a mild taste similar to the grown onion. Common sprouts you can grow from our seeds include:
Pea sprouts
Broccoli sprouts
Onion sprouts
Red cabbage sprouts
Mung bean sprouts
Red Russian kale sprouts
Fenugreek sprouts
Alfalfa sprouts
Sprouts are similar to microgreens, but they grow for a shorter time. Microgreens are often grown in trays with coconut coir or coconut mat, and may have two or three sets of leaves, while sprouts usually have just the first baby leaves. You can usually grow sprout seeds as microgreens and the other way around.
How do I grow sprouts?
There are two main methods: sprouting jars or trays. Commercial growers use automated misting systems with good drainage and airflow, but at home the easiest way is a jar. Ready to start? Follow our guide on how to grow sprouts at home.
What are the benefits of growing sprouts?
Health benefits
According to WebMD, sprouts are linked with a range of benefits, including lower blood sugar levels, better digestive health and better heart health. They are also a source of calcium, potassium, magnesium, folate and beta carotene.
You do not need much equipment
Traditional gardening needs soil, space, light and sometimes tools. A hydroponic garden needs equipment, nutrients, electricity and a growing medium. To grow sprouts you only need a jar, seeds and water. Sprouts do not need nutrients or soil because they get their energy from the seed. Light is optional, though a day or two in the light before harvest gives them a burst of colour.
Cut out the plastic waste
Supermarket sprouts come in plastic containers. Growing your own removes that packaging entirely.
Super-fast growers
When a seed germinates it shoots out its first leaves and pumps energy from the seed into them. That early burst means you can harvest in about a week, depending on the seed.
Very little space
A tomato vine takes a lot of room for a few kilograms of fruit. Sprouts grow densely in a jar and you eat the whole plant, so almost nothing is wasted.
Tastes great
Sprouts suit many cuisines, from mung bean and pea sprouts in Chinese cooking, to fenugreek in Indian dishes, to alfalfa in salads, sandwiches and wraps.
Fun to do
You can watch them change every day, which makes sprouting a great activity to do with kids.
How much do sprouts grow?
Supermarkets sell grown sprouts by weight, while seeds are sold by weight before they grow, so a fair comparison is hard. We ran our own test. We added 5 grams each of alfalfa, fenugreek and broccoli seeds to three separate jars and weighed them each day for a week.
Seed weight before and after one week of sprouting
Seed
Starting weight (g)
Ending weight (g)
Increase
Alfalfa
5
89
1,780%
Fenugreek
5
45
900%
Sprouting broccoli
5
56
1,120%
Within a week your sprouts can grow to 18 times their seed weight. About 50 grams of sprouts is roughly a handful, a reasonable amount for one person to eat in a day.
How much money can you save?
Work out your own savings in three steps:
Take the price of a seed pack and divide it by the pack weight in grams to get the cost per gram of seed.
Divide that by the growth multiple from the table above (for example 17.8 for alfalfa) to get the cost per gram of grown sprouts.
Compare it with the price per gram of the sprouts you buy at the shop.
When we ran this comparison, home-grown alfalfa and broccoli sprouts came out at a fraction of the supermarket price per gram, and every jar also avoids a plastic punnet. Seed and shop prices change, so check current seed prices and your local shop prices to see what you would save. Buying larger seed packs usually lowers the cost per gram further.
How to turn your home into a sprout farm
Start small. Too many jars at once is hard to manage, and one slip can put you off. Begin with one or two jars and see how they suit you. If you enjoy them, add a few more and run them on a cycle so you always have fresh greens.
Questions? Our friendly team is always happy to help, so get in touch.
